Rams coach Sean McVay listens to a question from the media during a news conference at training camp on the campus of UCI in Irvine on Thursday, July 27, 2017. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Head coach Sean McVay talks with quarterback Jared Goff during the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp at UCI in Irvine, CA on Tuesday, August 1, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Rams punter Johnny Hekker, right, talks with Coach Sean McVay during the second half of an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay prior to a NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay celebrates after a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay calls a time out in the 4th quarter. The Los Angeles Rams were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks 16-10 in a regular season NFL game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Los Angeles,, CA 10/9/2017 (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Rams coach Sean McVay is now the youngest coach the make the NFL playoffs, and he brings with him a team that is mostly lacking in playoff experience. The Rams face the Atlanta Falcons in a wild-card playoff game Saturday night at the Coliseum. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, right, greets quarterback Jared Goff on the sideline in the second half of an NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on late in the fourth quarter as the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Los Angeles Rams 26-13 during a Wild Card NFL football playoff game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 06, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, right, with quarterback Jared Goff (16) look on as a play is reviewed in the first half of a Wild Card NFL football playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 06, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs for a first down against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half of a Wild Card NFL football playoff game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 06, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs for first down against the Atlanta Falcons in the second half of a Wild Card NFL football playoff game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 06, 2018 in Los Angeles. Atlanta Falcons won 26-13. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

A year after the Rams made him the youngest coach in NFL history, Sean McVay rose to the top of his profession, and the Rams’ success in 2017 also elevated two of their star players.

The Associated Press named McVay as the NFL’s coach of the year at the league’s annual awards ceremony, held Saturday in Minneapolis. Todd Gurley won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award and Aaron Donald won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

It marked the first time in the awards’ 45-year history that all three awards went to the same team, and only the second time that the top offensive and defensive players were teammates. Baltimore running back Jamal Lewis and linebacker Ray Lewis won top-player honors in 2003.

Gurley had been considered a strong candidate for league MVP honors, but that award went to New England quarterback Tom Brady. The Chargers’ Keenan Allen won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award after he returned from a torn ACL and caught 102 passes.

McVay became the fourth Rams coach to earn top honors from the AP, and joined Dick Vermeil (1999), Chuck Knox (1973) and George Allen (1967). Donald became the Rams’ first-ever defensive player of the year. Gurley joined fellow running backs Eric Dickerson (1986) and Marshall Faulk (1999, 2000, 2001) as Rams winners of the top award for offensive players.

“We’ve definitely got a lot to build on,” Donald told reporters in Minneapolis after his award announcement. “We’ve got a young hungry coach with a lot of young hungry players. The sky is the limit.”

The Rams took a major risk last January when they hired McVay, two weeks before his 31st birthday. The Rams not only finished 11-5 — a seven-win improvement — and made their first playoff appearance in 14 years, but they led the league in scoring, just one year after they scored the fewest points in the NFL.

Players gave much of the credit to McVay, the offense’s architect and play-caller, who in particular helped Gurley transform from a 2016 bust into one of the league’s most dynamic players.

Gurley led the league in yards from scrimmage (2,093), total touchdowns (19) and rushing touchdowns (13) and finished second in rushing yards (1,305) to Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt.

As the centerpiece of the Rams’ offense, Gurley enjoyed a fine bounce-back season. He was the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2015 but had a fairly dismal 2016, with 1,212 yards from scrimmage.

“That’s why I love sports,” Gurley said. “You’re not going to have a good year every year. But there’s no better feeling that winning games.”

McVay focused on the Rams’ offense, but certainly enjoyed the defensive support provided by Donald, who has been a Pro Bowl selection in each of his four NFL seasons.

Donald missed all of training camp and the first game of the season because of a contract holdout (and also sat out the regular-season finale by McVay’s decision) but totaled 11 sacks and five forced fumbles in 14 games in his first season in coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense.

Not since Warren Sapp in 1999 had an interior linemen been named the AP’s top defensive player.

“That’s one of the best to ever do it,” Donald said. “For my name to be next to that guy’s name is beyond a blessing.”

Donald’s contract status remains a major issue. As of now, he is set to play out the 2018 season under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but Donald still seeks a new deal. Because of rules that govern NFL contracts, it’s unlikely that Donald will stage a significant holdout this year, but Donald declined to share his thoughts on how the player of the year award might impact contract negotiations.

“I’ve got a great team (of agents) with me,” Donald said, “so I’m going to let those guys handle it.”

New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara won the AP’s offensive rookie of the year award, while Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was named defensive rookie of the year.

Rich Hammond was a high school senior when the Rams left town in 1995, and now he's their beat writer for the Southern California News Group. A native of L.A., Rich broke in at the Daily Breeze as a college freshman and also has covered USC, the Kings, the Lakers and the Dodgers. He still loves sports and telling stories. Don't take the sarcastic tweets too seriously.

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